Female Facade
by Ryo Nightray
Summary: A jutsu gone wrong leaves Deidara trapped in the form of a woman, and Sasori must help reverse the change before it's too late. But in these strange circumstances, not only genders change, but hearts too. Contains excitement, sorrow and love. SASODEI.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note ~**__ I didn't really know what inspired me to write this, but it's been in the back of my mind for a while so I thought "hey, why not?" Yeah, I know it's probably been done a thousand times before, but hopefully in later chapters I'll try and give it an original streak. Anyway, I hope you like it, and reviews would be very appreciated. :)_

Sasori narrowed his eyes in concentration as he observed his work. He just needed to adjust one of the limbs of his latest puppet by a few millimetres, then it would be perfect. With a tool in each hand, he slowly and carefully tweaked the puppet's arm into position.

_Almost done…_

"DANNA!"

The sudden scream made Sasori jump in alarm, jostling his hands and disrupting his work. A faint crease appeared between his eyebrows, his stoic façade falling momentarily to show irritation. He looked over his now ruined work, suppressing a dismayed sigh now that he saw the puppet's arm was completely askew and twisted. It would take a long time to repair.

As he heard rapid footsteps approaching outside, he stood up and faced the door with his arms crossed. The brat had better have a good reason for spoiling his art. Oh yes, it had better be a good reason, or Deidara would suffer severely.

The door burst open and crashed against the wall, and the young blond Akatsuki tumbled into the room, panting heavily. His visible blue eye was huge with terror, and his skin had a sickly pallor to it. Sasori felt slight feeling of curiosity grow in him; little scared the rock ninja, and he wondered what had caused his partner so much fear.

"What is it, brat?" Sasori questioned, his soft voice containing an icy edge.

"D-Danna," Deidara stammered. "Help me, un!"

Sasori regarded Deidara with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Can't you see it?" Deidara cried, waving his arms in distress.

Sasori shook his head, but something nagged at him. Deidara's voice sounded…different. It was lighter and higher, as if his voice had broken in reverse. Maybe he had a sore throat or something, but the puppet master knew that an issue so small couldn't be the source of his partner's anxiety.

"Look at me, un!" Deidara shouted, moving closer to Sasori, breathing hard and fast.

Sasori took a closer look, and an eyebrow rose in puzzlement. Not only had Deidara's voice changed, but his appearance didn't quite seem right. His fair eyelashes had grown longer, his lips appeared fuller, and his face has a softer curve to it. Was this some kind of disguise jutsu? But if it was, what was the point of it, and why would it cause Deidara to freak out so much?

"What's wrong with you, brat?" Sasori said, a small frown on his face. "Why do you look different?"

Deidara let out a snarl of frustration and unexpectedly ripped his cloak open. "Look, un!" he yelled.

Sasori blinked several times, his heavy lidded eyes widening in shock. He stared at Deidara's chest, and at the two, ample new bulges pushing against his shirt. _Are… are those…?_. A very faint blush rose to his cheeks, and he roughly shook his head. No, this couldn't be happening!

"Brat, what the hell have you done?" Sasori said, his voice dangerously low.

Deidara's gaze dropped to the floor, his expression struggling between sheepish, alarmed, and shameful. "I- I was just messing around, Danna. You see, I remembered seeing the nine-tailed Jinchuriki perform this strange jutsu, and I wanted to try it out, just for fun, un. So, I performed the technique, and obviously it worked." He laughed humourlessly. "Perhaps to well, un."

"You can't change back?" Sasori frowned.

Deidara shook his head sadly. "I've tried everything, un. But it's not working." An expression of horror overwhelmed him. "What if I'm stuck like this forever, un?"

"Don't be a baka, brat," Sasori said. He sighed. "Try and reverse it."

"But, Danna, I already-"

"Just do it!"

Deidara sighed and placed his hands together, focusing his chakra. He screwed his eyes in deep concentration, a bead of sweat slipping down his forehead with the effort. Sasori could sense Deidara's chakra swirling around inside his body, but it was unable to make any change.

After a few moments Deidara opened his eyes again and hung his head. "It's no good, un."

The puppet master placed a hand to his chin and scrutinized his partner. Deidara was now definitely female. As well as the new additions to his chest, Sasori could see that his partner's frame seemed slighter, and that his waist was narrower but his hips curved out flatteringly. The brat's ridiculously elaborate hairstyle actually suited him better now that he was a girl, Sasori thought with an internal smirk.

"Come here" Sasori ordered. Obediently, the blond ninja shuffled towards Sasori. The redhead held out both his hand and positioned them at Deidara's temples.

"Hold still," he instructed. "Let me try something."

"Un" Deidara replied.

Sasori sent out a wave of chakra, trying to coax his partner's own power supply into action. However, despite his best efforts nothing worked.

He sighed and removed his hands. "No good, brat."

Deidara stared at him, mouth agape. "You mean-?" He let out a wail of despair and sunk to his knees. "Now I look like a girl, un!"

"You looked like one to begin with" Sasori muttered.

Deidara's head snapped up and he clenched his teeth in anger. But his fury wavered and he hung his head again. He inspected his hands and he felt another miserable stab in his chest. Even his mouth hands had changed, looking more feminine than before.

"Damn Jinchuriki, un!" Deidara growled. "If he didn't use that stupid sexy technique then none of this would have happened!"

"It was your fault for trying to imitate him," Sasori retorted. "Why on earth would you try and do it, anyway? It's a ridiculous and useless technique, not to mention it's a tasteless form of art." He shrugged, and turned away, returning to his broken puppet. "Ah well, it can't be helped."

"You're going to leave me like this, un?" Deidara shrieked. "Danna, please, help me!"

Sasori rolled his eyes at Deidara's desperate plea. Foolish brat: it was as if he created troublesome circumstances on purpose just to irritate him.

But as he regarded the ninja out of the corner of his eye, he felt a tiny flicker of sympathy. If he was in the brat's situation, he wouldn't be too happy either.

Deidara let out another sorrowful moan and placed his delicate hands to his face. "What am I going to do, un? I'm a man, damn it!"

Suddenly, loud footsteps echoed down the corridor and a head poked around the doorway.

"What the fuck is going on in here?" Hidan asked, a scowl marring his handsome face. "I was trying to do my ritual to Jashin-sama, but I can concentrate with all this fucking noise!" His violet eyes flicked to Deidara, who was kneeling on the floor. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he growled.

"The brat has found himself in a tricky situation," Sasori explained. "He was experimenting with a transformation jutsu – and a poor one at that – and has found that he can't return to his usual self."

Hidan frowned. "He doesn't look any different to me."

Deidara hissed and stood up, wheeling round to face him. "I don't, do I, un?"

Hidan looked him up and down, then froze with alarm, his hooded eyes bulging in their sockets. ""Fucking hell, since when did you have boobs?" He paused. "Were you a chick all this time and didn't tell us?"

"No!" Deidara yelled. "I tried a stupid sexy jutsu and now I'm stuck as a woman, un!"

"Oh," Hidan said, rubbing the back of his head. "That's… that's…"

"Forget it" Deidara snarled, then shoved the Jashinist out of the way and stomped down the corridor. The two remaining Akatsuki couldn't help but note the faint sway of Deidara's hips as he walked away. They glanced at each other.

"What are we gonna do?" Hidan asked.

Sasori sighed and massaged his temples. "I don't know. But we'd better think of something fast, before the transformation becomes irreversible."

_That's all for the time being; hope you liked it so far! I hate to beg, but reviews would be so nice right now :(_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi there! Another update within a few days? Aren't I great? :P  
Anyways, thanks so much for your reviews – I appreciate them very much! Here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!_

Deidara slammed the door shut of his (or is it her?) bedroom so hard that the room shook and shreds of plaster crumbled from the ceiling and the clay figurines on his shelf quivered. He paced up and down fiercely, his breath ragged as he rang his hands together. He was so furious that he wanted to blow something up, wanted to see it explode in a fountain of heat and colour before his eyes and gain satisfaction from its destruction. He let out a snarl of frustration and kicked his beside cabinet, then swore as his toes throbbed with pain at the impact.

He stood still for a moment and the anger drained out of him like water from a shattered bowl. He sighed with fatigue and slowly sat down on the edge of his bed, head in his hands.

_This is a disaster_ he thought._ What have I got myself into?_

"What am I going to do, un?" he murmured to himself. He stared at the floor, as if it could give him the answers he wanted. He sighed again and rubbed his eyes, irritated by the moistness of them.

A sharp rapping at the door snapped him out of his melancholy and his head jerked up.

"Senpai?" came a sing-song voice muffled by the door. "Are you ok?"

Deidara's fury returned in a flash. "Go away, Tobi!" he yelled.

"Is Senpai angry with Tobi?" was the meek reply. "Did Tobi do something wrong?"

Deidara growled and leapt to his feet. With great difficulty he bit back a colourful volley of swear words and through clenched teeth he answered "No, Tobi. I just want to be alone."

"Is Senpai sure he wants to be alone? Tobi could give Senpai a big hug and maybe it will make him feel better."

Deidara struggled not to reach for his C0 clay there and then to blast the little nuisance into oblivion. He stormed to the door and ripped it open to see the orange-masked weirdo standing there. "What part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand, UN?" he yelled.

Tobi squeaked with alarm and threw up his hands as if to shield himself. "I'm sorry, Senpai!" he mumbled. "Tobi is a good boy and didn't mean to-" He paused, then cocked his head to one side.

"Senpai looks different today," Tobi mused. "Tobi didn't know Senpai was so pretty."

Deidara huffed and was alarmed to find a faint blush rise to his cheeks at the compliment.

Tobi took a huge intake of breath as his gaze moved further down. "Senpai!" he gasped. "Why do you have boobies!"

Deidara's blush deepened and he quickly crossed his arms over his chest. "Why does everyone keeping staring at them, un? You people are such perverts!"

"Not me" said a refined, gentle voice.

Deidara glanced down the corridor to see Konan striding towards him, an elegant flower in her striking blue hair as always.  
"Ko-Konan-san," Deidara stuttered, shrinking back into his room.

"Tobi, go downstairs" Konan said, her voice gentle but with a firm edge.

"Sure thing, Konan-san!" Tobi said brightly, skipping off down the corridor and out of sight.

Konan looked Deidara up and down and her eyes widened in surprise. "So it's true then."

"How did you know, un?" Deidara asked.

"Sasori-san explained the situation to me," Konan said. "And as a woman I figured that I would be the best person to help you out."

Deidara blushed again and his lips twisted in embarrassment. "Thanks" he murmured.

"Come with me" she ordered, turning on her heel and walking the opposite way that Tobi did.

"Where're we going, un?" Deidara questioned, trotting after her.

"My room," Konan replied. "If you like a lady, then you're going to have to dress like one." She paused and turned around to face him. "And you're in desperate need of a bra."

Deidara followed her eyes and quickly folded his arms over his chest. "I see what you mean, un."

Konan opened the door to her room and ushered Deidara inside. As Konan opened her wardrobe and rummaged around her drawers, Deidara sat on the edge of her bed and glanced around. It was quite large with a flowery duvet over the bed and airy curtains. A brilliant bouquet of flowers sat in a vase at a dressing table, and little origami creatures were arranged at her desk beside her paperwork.

"Konan-san," Deidara asked softly "Do you think I'll be able to change back, un?"

She turned to face him, her expression gentle. "We'll try as best as we can, Deidara-san. But for the time being, you're just going to have grow accustomed to your new body."

Deidara groaned. "I don't want to be a woman, un! I'd prefer to be a guy, no offence Konan-san."

"None taken," she answered. "Take off your clothes."

Deidara blinked at her. "U-Un?"

"Don't be shy," she said, a small smile creeping up her face. "Go on."

Lethargically, he got to his feet and shrugged off his Akatsuki cloak and kicked odd his sandals, then after some hesitation pulled off his shirt and trousers too. He shivered and felt his cheeks grow warm with awkwardness, but fortunately Konan kept her eyes averted as she passed him some spare underwear. In all his life, he'd never thought he'd strip off in front of Konan, of all people!

He felt another shudder down his spine as he pulled on the lacy underpants. It didn't feel right at all. He hated missing something there. It was too … he didn't really know how to explain it.

He regarded the bra with a frown of confusion. What was with all the straps? It looked complicated. He felt a strange twinge inside him: he thought he'd be taking bras off of girls, not trying them on himself. Oh, the humiliation.

_At least Sasori-no-Danna isn't here to laugh at me_ he thought.

He examined his chest and felt heat in his cheeks again. He prodded one gently and felt another shiver run through him. A jumble of mixed feelings rushed through him, and he didn't know which was right to think. He quickly strapped it on, and realised that Konan was right when she said he needed a bra.

When Konan glanced at him, she smothered a chuckle as she pointed at his torso. "You've done it all wrong" she explained when Deidara glared at her.

"Well how am I supposed to know what to do, un?" he snarled, struggling back out of it.

Just then the door opened and Deidara instinctively turned around to see who it was.

"Konan-san, are you-"

Sasori froze in his sentence as his eyes rested on Deidara.

Deidara gasped and rapidly folded his arms across his chest to hide his decency, his visible eye huge in alarm and his face turning a shade of red that would shame a tomato.

"I-I'll just wait outside" Sasori mumbled quickly, darting out the room and pulling the door shut behind him.

"Oh crap," Deidara murmured, tilting his head to one side so that his long hair covered his face. "I know Danna's impatient but did he really have to barge in like that?"

Konan sighed and patted Deidara's shoulder reassuringly. "It's ok, Deidara-san. I'm sure he didn't see anything."

"But what if he did?" Deidara answered. _Why did it have to be _him_! Of all the Akatsuki… _

A strange thought dawned on Deidara but he quickly banished it. He shuddered as he remembered it.

_Maybe I wanted him to see._

Deidara roughly shook his head and pulled one of Konan's more feminine Akatsuki shirts over his head. It was a ridiculous thought, and he should think nothing of it. Yes, it was nothing to worry about.

"There," Konan said, stepping back to admire her work. "That'll do for now. You'll have to get your own clothes sooner or later."

"I don't intend to stay like this for that long, un" Deidara muttered as he buttoned up his Akatsuki cloak to hide his buxom chest.

"Come on," Konan said. "Pein-sama is expecting us all for our next mission, and he'll want you there, man or woman."

_Ugh, this was quite an embarrassing chapter to write! But I hope you liked it :)_


	3. Chapter 3

_Yeah, I've decided to change this chapter a bit to move the plot forward a bit. The first part of this was the same as before, but I improved it around half-way through I hope you enjoy it, and sorry for not updating in forever!_

As Deidara trailed after Konan, he felt his heart smashing against his chest with anxiety. He clenched his hands into fists and grit his hand mouth's teeth with frustration – why was he so damn nervous? He'd joined the Akatsuki, the most feared of all organizations, at the fresh age of 15; he'd slaughtered hundred of people and reduced whole cities to rubble with his explosive art. And yet he wasn't man enough to walk into a room of 10 people – literally.

"I hope we aren't too late" Konan murmured to herself as she turned down the next corridor and down a curving flight of stairs which tumbled dizzyingly into darkness. At the foot of the stairs, a large pair of doors glared down at them. Konan pushed them open, Deidara following after her with a pause of hesitation.

Beyond the doors was a cavernous room veiled in shadows, a few dim lights casting weak illumination over a large, polished mahogany table in the centre of the room. As expected, the rest of the Akatsuki were already assembled around this table.

On the right closest to the door was Tobi squirming and fidgeting in his seat, impatient for the meeting to begin and attempting to start a conversation with Itachi who was sat beside him. The Uchiha was, of course, ignoring the childish man and was sat staring ahead in silence, hands resting under his chin. Beside him was his partner Kisame, the big blue-skinned man drumming his fingers on the table with a bored expression. Beside him, not at the table but beside the wall, was Zetsu, his gold eyes staring about between the folds of his leaf-like appendages.

On the left of the table opposite Itachi and Kisame were Hidan and Kakuzu, who were bickering with each other like an old married couple and probably seconds away from pummelling the crap about of each other. Next along was a seat reserved for Konan, and at the head of the table opposite the door was Leader-sama. He sat furthest away from the light, his silver eyes glinting like a knife in the dark from where he lay in the shadows.

Finally, near the door was Deidara's empty seat, with Sasori beside it. The puppet-master wore a blank and indifferent expression, ignoring his arrival.

As soon as Deidara and Konan crossed the threshold, everyone's head swivelled around to stare. Even Kakuzu and Hidan had ceased their arguing and were silent. Deidara felt the heat of embarrassment and fury working its way up his neck. _Stop looking at me, un! _He wanted to shout, but he kept his lips sealed in the presence of Leader-sama.

Konan closed the door, which slammed shut with a dull thud and creak of hinges, and walked to her seat, Deidara doing likewise. However, all the eyes were locked on him and continued to be even when he quickly sat down. He glanced across at Sasori, but he didn't look back.

"So, it's true," Kisame said, breaking the silence. "You really are a girl."

Deidara smothered a snarl and crossed his arms over his chest.

"See, see!" Tobi beamed, jumping up and down in his seat. "I told you Deidara-sempai was a pretty lady now!"

"Oh, shut your face!" Deidara yelled, standing up and slamming his palms down on the table. He leaned over and grasped Tobi by the collar, who squeaked in alarm. Deidara glared straight into the masked man's eyehole, seething. "I've had just about enough of you, un! Say anything else and-"

Deidara broke off as something caught the corner of his eye. His gaze flickered across and met Itachi's dark eyes. Neither moved for a few seconds.

Suddenly, Itachi's eyes widened slightly and he glanced down at himself. A trickle of red dripped from his nose. Deidara stiffened with horror and turned as pale as a ghost as he realised that as he leaned over the table he was offering a very generous view of his new cleavage to the Uchiha.

Itachi's mouth thinned very faintly, a vein twitched in one eye, and after uttering a soft "Excuse-me", he clamped his hand over his nose and swept out of the meeting room, slamming the door behind him.

Once he was gone, Deidara let out a strangled screaming groan, clutching his scalp and sinking back into his seat. "Why _him_?" he almost wept. "Why!"

Hidan guffawed heartily and smacked his fist on the table with glee. "Nice one, Deidara-chan!"

"Shut your face, un!" Deidara snarled, whipping his head round and shaking a fist at the Jashinist.

Sasori sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Silence!"

All noise in the room died, and it seemed that a deathly chill settled upon the Akatsuki. Leader-sama's gleaming eyes slowly scanned the room, moving onto another member once their heads were bowed with submission.

"Deidara, compose yourself," he ordered. "I don't care what your gender is. It makes no difference if you're a male or female Akatsuki, so long as you follow my orders."

"Yes, Leader-sama" Deidara murmured, glancing down at his feet.

"Shall we move on to more important matters?" Leader-sama said, his resonate voice as sharp as frostbite. All the Akatsuki members nodded and remained quiet. Itachi returned to the room, fully composed again, and sat back down as if nothing had happened.

As Leader-sama began to issue orders about who would be attempting to capture which Jinchuriki and discussing their progress, Deidara's thoughts detached from the meeting.

He hated it. He hated being a woman. All his life, he'd been teased because he'd been an effeminate-looking man. And now this was the last thing to push him off the edge. What's more, deep within his gut there churned a feeling of horror and dread; for he knew that if he retained this body for too long, there would be no turning back. It was only a matter of time before there would be two female Akatsuki members.

He gripped his knees so hard that his hands trembled. He wasn't going to settle for this. _I have to do something about this; I have to change back, no matter what, un! _But what else could he do? He racked his brains, trying to think of anything that could help him regain his masculinity.

_Why did I even copy that fucking orange Jinchuriki in the first place? _he snarled.

And then it hit him. A glorious, ingenious idea exploded in his head. Why didn't he think of it before?

That Jinchuriki – Naruto, was it? – had invented the jutsu. Therefore, it would only make sense that he would know how to dispel it.

Deidara smothered a gleeful giggle at his own brilliance. It was too perfect! He would go to Konohagakure, find the orange shinobi and force him to change him back. And the best part was that if he captured Naruto and brought him back to Akatsuki HQ, he would be able to show off his incredible skill at catching a Jinchuriki single-handedly. Then Itachi wouldn't be able to look down upon his artistic jutsu ever again.

His mind made up, he decided that he would leave under the cover of darkness.

A full, fat moon hung in the night sky, accompanied by a thousand glittering stars. Aside from the dark storm clouds brewing over Amegakure, the landscape ahead was illuminated with soft grey light leeched of colour. A strong southern breeze sent leaves spiralling through the cool air. It was good weather for flying.

Deidara smiled as he looked down from the rock precipice he stood on, one hand mouth vigorously chewing and chomping as he kneaded chakra into the clay, the other adjusting the scope on his left eye. If he could catch this southward wind, he could reach the Land of Fire within a couple of hours. Although he didn't like the look of the rain clouds invading the horizon, if he left now he was sure he'd avoid them.

Checking that he had everything he needed, he completed his clay sculpture and took a few paces back to admire his handiwork. A large, snow-white eagle stood on the edge of the cliff, its hollow eyes scanning the skies and already flapping its wings against the wind as it readied itself for flight. Deidara felt a rush of warmth envelop his body and a grin spread over his mouth; like all his art, this was an absolute masterpiece.

"OK," he said to himself, walking over to the giant bird. "I'd better get out of here before the rest of the Akat-suckers realise I'm gone."

"It's too late for that" said a soft voice.

Deidara stiffened and wheeled around. A figure stood behind him in a pool of shadow, face hidden under the broad rim of the Akatsuki-style hat, but Deidara already knew who it was.

"Sasori no Danna!" he spluttered, then growled. "What are you doing here, un?"

"Where are you going?" Sasori asked as he stepped forward into the moonlight, ignoring Deidara's question. He wore a slight frown on his otherwise impassive face, but his eyes were curious.

Deidara uttered a "Hmph!" of contempt and turned his back on the puppet-master, taking another few strides towards his clay eagle. "What's it to you, un?"

"You do know that anyone who leaves the Akatsuki without permission is to be killed, brat" Sasori said, his voice cold and steely.

"Yeah," Deidara answered, glancing back at Sasori and rolling his visible eye. "I know that. But I'm not deserting the organization, even though I don't even wanna join in the first place." He tilted his head to one side and smirked. "I'm getting my real body back, un."

"And how are you going to do that?" Sasori said with a harsh sigh of frustration, as if he were addressing an irritating little child.

"I'm going after the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki," Deidara explained, pausing to leap up onto the eagle and sit with his legs in the curve of the bird's neck. "And I'm gonna force him to change me back into a man."

Sasori said nothing and stood very still.

Deidara scowled. "Well, get lost then!" he said with a shooing motion of his hand. "I've got a very important mission to do, un!"

"I'm going with you."

The rock ninja froze, gasping in surprise. He glared down at Sasori, suspicion growing in his eyes. "Why?" he demanded

"Face it, brat," Sasori answered. "You can't do this by yourself. I'm far stronger than you, so you need my help. Without me, you'll be killed within moments of entering the village."

"Yeah, and I'd bet you'd like that, eh?" Deidara replied.

"Hn," Sasori murmured, closing his eyes with a slight smile for a moment. "You're jutsu, though uncreative, is useful, and I know that if I didn't help you turn into a man again, you'd just become even more annoying with your angsting about being a kunoichi. Even though you're the most annoying little bastard I've ever met, it would be better if you weren't killed."

"Aww, and I thought you hated me" Deidara said teasingly.

"Quiet, you little bitch," Sasori muttered under his breath.

Deidara laughed and patted the eagle's smooth white back. "Come on then, un."

Sasori elegantly jumped up into the air and landed neatly on top of the eagle, hesitating before he sat down behind Deidara and swung his legs around the flanks of the bird.

"You're gonna have to hold onto me, unless you want to fall off" Deidara murmured, glancing away.

"Is this really necessary?" Sasori replied through gritted teeth as he reluctantly held onto Deidara's sides.

"Believe me, I wish it wasn't, un" Deidara said despairingly.

The rock ninja nudged the flanks of the eagle with his heels, and the bird beat it wings slowly up and down, a great rush of wind being tossed up as its clay feathers churned up the air. The eagle's talons let go of the rock face and it plunged downwards for a few seconds, almost smashing to the ground before it surged upwards again and through the night.

Deidara felt a thrill of excitement as they rushed ahead, the trees flashing past in a blur of shadows and clouds brushing the wings of the great bird. The breeze tossed his long hair behind him and caressed his face, his stomach dropping and heart leaping as he directed the eagle's flight, twisting and turning through the air. It was an exhilarating experience, but of course the ecstasy he received from his explosive art was far greater than this.

Sasori didn't share the same enthusiasm. He risked a glance down and then instantly flinched away. If his skin wasn't wooden it probably would have turned a bright shade of green.

Deidara urged the eagle on and they shot forward as they accelerated. Sasori uttered a tiny gasp of alarm and instinctively and quickly tightened his grip around Deidara's slender waist, shuffling closer so that his body was pressed up against his back. Deidara grinned to himself as he gained a smug sense of amusement at Sasori's fear of flying.

But that wasn't all he felt. His skin flashed red-hot and his heartbeat thrummed in his ears. The puppet master's arms were strong and reassuring, and his breath tickled down his neck tantalisingly. He'd never felt Sasori's body close to his before – in fact it seemed that Sasori made it his mission in life to stay as far away as humanly possible from him. But now that he was so near, Deidara realised that it felt … nice. And what with the starry sky surrounding them and the wind whistling past, it almost felt romantic.

Icy horror washed over Deidara and he almost lost control of the eagle. Did he really just think that? He shook his head so hard that his headband slipped a little down his forehead. _It must be these new female hormones_ Deidara decided, reassuring himself with a little shudder. That was must be the explanation: the only thing he felt for Sasori was respect for a fellow artist, even though Sasori's art was crap. Therefore, in order to get these silly, girly and extremely embarrassing fantasies out of his head, it was even more important that he returned to his male form as soon as possible. He gave the bird another nudge and it sped up a little more.

As it did so, Sasori's grasp tautened and began constricting Deidara, his ribs and boobs getting crushed.

"Danna, let go!" Deidara wheezed. "I can't breathe, un!"

"Well slow down then!" Sasori yelled back over the roar of the wind.

Suddenly, a bright flash blazed across the sky and carved the night in half, a resonate boom following afterwards and shaking the heavens. Deidara glanced around to see that the stars had been smothered by clouds and darkness had descended upon them, fat drops of rain cascading down and soaking them.

"We have to get out of this storm!" Sasori shouted, another fork of lightning streaking down to earth as he spoke.

"Un!" Deidara answered, directing the eagle downwards to find somewhere to land. He clenched his teeth in concentration, blinking water out of his eye. Just a little further-

Deidara cried out as a fierce white light blinded him and felt the smooth clay beneath him fall away, and suddenly he was twisting through the air and plummeting towards the ground.

_OMG, cliff hanger! Was this better? Please review, it really makes my day! :) _


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow, I actually got round to updating this story! I hope you like this chapter, and please don't forget to review to say if you like it or if it needs improving :) _

Sasori felt something wet patter off his face and he snapped his eyes open. Above him, thick storm clouds boiled and writhed in a fierce whirl, rain stabbing downwards in heavy sheets. He uttered a faint groan as he sat up, bright lights dancing before his eyes after the fierce lightning had struck the clay bird. Blinking hard, his sight cleared and he could finally see well enough to observe his surroundings.

He looked down at himself and felt a twinge of pain in his body, but the ache wasn't as bad as he'd expected. Giving his wooden body a swift examination, he saw that none of his limbs or joints was damaged – if he had a human body, he might have only received a few bruises after the impact.

He glanced around and saw that he had been lying in soft grass, the ground light and almost sandy. That would explain things. If they'd landed on rock they could have been severely injured.

Sasori suddenly remembered Deidara. He had fallen too, so he had to be around him somewhere. He wondered if the lightning had hit him and seared him to charcoal – that would put an end to his constant whining. Still, he'd better make sure and see if his partner was alright.

He slowly got to his feet, and as he did so he spotted a deformed grey mound a few feet away, its form being beaten away by the relentless rain, steam hissing up from its crumbling burnt body. Sasori realised that this was the clay bird, and figuring Deidara would be close he began to walk towards it.

"Hey, brat!" he called out over the scream of the wind. "Where are you!"

As he drew closer, he heard a feeble moan. Lying face down in the grass ahead of him was the brat, his long blond hair darkened by the rain and splayed out across the ground.

"Are you still alive?" Sasori muttered.

Deidara groaned again, this time a little louder. "Unnn…."

Sasori gave a sigh of frustration, lashing out his leg and kicking the young man in the ribs. "Get up!" he demanded, impatient to get out of the rain.

"What the hell was that for!" Deidara grumbled, getting unsteadily to his feet.

"Are you injured at all?" Sasori asked, ignoring the blonde's complaint.

Deidara shook his head. "Surprisingly, no, un. Can't say the same for my majestic artwork though" he added, looking glumly at the remains of the eagle.

Sasori gazed up at the clouds. "The storm is intensifying. I suggest we find some shelter."

"There's a cave over there," Deidara answered, pointing to a cliff a few paces away. "It looks small, but it will do, un."

Sasori nodded in agreement. Sure enough, he could spot a dark crevice in the cliff wall. They could wait there until the storm had passed, even if it appeared a bit narrow.

It wasn't till they reached it that they realised just how small it was. Sasori felt a snatch of dismay and annoyance as he looked inside: the walls were so close together that there was only enough space for the two of them if they squashed inside.

"We can't stay here" Sasori said with a shake of his head.

"There isn't anywhere else for miles, un," Deidara said with a shrug. "And I don't fancy getting hit by lightning again."

Sasori smothered another frustrated sigh as he ducked his head and stepped inside. Deidara followed after him and flopped to the smooth floor and lay down, Sasori feeling a faint scowl across his brow as the young ninja took up all the space. He forcefully nudged him back to clear space for himself, which only resulted in Deidara shoving him back.

"Move up, brat!" Sasori said, anger seeping into his soft voice.

"No, you move, un!" Deidara snarled back. "I'm a lady, I should be given special treatment!"

"Oh, so you're a lady when it suits you?"

They continued to bicker and squabble and shove each other until Deidara tripped over and fell forwards with a yelp of alarm, tumbling into Sasori and pushing him to the ground.

Deidara looked down and met Sasori's gaze. His face was as passive and emotionless as ever, but his brown eyes blazed with anger.

"Get your breasts out of my face" he murmured darkly, his voice trembling with rage.

A boiling wave of embarrassment flew through Deidara as he realised that he was lying on top of the red-head and pinning him to the floor with his bodyweight, and indeed his ample cleavage was pressing up against Sasori's face.

"S-s-sorry Danna!" Deidara stuttered as he quickly leapt back off the other man.

Sasori's lip curled in disdain. Honestly, this brat was the only one that could bring out any of his remaining emotion, and by emotion he meant utter and relentlessly fury.

"I don't think I've ever despised anyone as much as-"

Suddenly Deidara let out a gasp of agony and doubled over, tightly clutching his stomach and clenching his teeth.

"Brat?" Sasori questioned, leaning in closer with curiosity. "What's wrong?"

Deidara panted weakly and shivered, beads of sweat glistening on his brow. "I…I don't know" he answered between rasping breaths.

"Brat!" Sasori yelled with alarm as Deidara fell forward, catching him in his arms before he smacked to the ground.

Sasori's eyes widened as he sensed a surge of chakra rushing through the young ninja, blazing through his veins and twisting through his bones. Deidara seemed to shift in his grasp for a few heartbeats before the swirl of chakra stopped as soon as it had come, the blonde letting out a dull sigh and slumping with exhaustion.

"Hey!" Sasori said, shaking the young man.

Deidara weakly raised his head and looked blearily up at the ex-sand ninja. "Danna?" he whispered.

Sasori's eyes widened even more as he felt a flash of shock. _No way!_ he thought. _This is impossible! _

Sasori lifted Deidara up higher in his arms and stared at him with disbelief. Deidara's jaw line had become harder and his nose wasn't quite as dainty; his lips had lost their pout and his shoulders and torso had become broader. Deidara had returned to normal.

"What's wrong?" Deidara said tiredly, his blue eyes dim. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Brat," Sasori said quietly. "You…"

Sasori hadn't noticed how different Deidara had become when he'd been transformed into a woman. But now that he was a young man again, it was like seeing an old friend after years apart. He gasped internally with surprise as he realised that he had reached out a trembling finger to touch the young man's face, his body moving of its own accord. His finger trailed down Deidara's pale cheek, his skin warm against Sasori's unfeeling wooden body.

He snapped out of his daze as Deidara cried out in pain again, the rock ninja shaking violently as he clutched tightly to Sasori's arms. The redhead stiffened when he sensed another flood of chakra pulse through Deidara's body.

"No!" he cried out, realising what could be happening. But within a matter of seconds Deidara sagged against him again, trapped back in the body of a woman.

"Brat?" Sasori whispered, but he had no response. Deidara had fainted with fatigue.

Sighing, Sasori laid the unconscious man on the floor, then leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes. What was that all about? For a moment Deidara was himself again, but the jutsu had formed almost straight away afterwards. This was very unnatural. What had Deidara done to himself? Was there anyway to fix it?

Sasori opened his eyes again and looked out into the downpour outside, a scowl on his face. That Jinchuriki had better have the answer to this mess.

_Another chapter over! Sorry if it sucked, but hopefully it will get better once I introduce some more Naruto characters in the next chapter. Please review :)_


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